Maccheroni al torchio with mackerel, anchovies, and sautéed pears on a delicate Polignano potato and saffron cream

Clean the fish by removing the entrails and scales. Fillet it and cut each fillet into two pieces to obtain 4 portions (remove any excess bones with fish tweezers before cutting the fillets). Next, wash the zucchini and slice it into thin strips. Place the mackerel on a lightly oiled baking tray, sprinkle with grated cheese, and arrange the zucchini on top of the fish, mimicking the effect of scales. Finally, drizzle with a little oil and bake at 180°C for 10 minutes.

Peel the potatoes and roughly chop them to speed up cooking. Place them in a small pot along with the cloves and a bay leaf, then cover with water. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Once cooked, remove the cloves and bay leaf, add the milk, saffron, and a pinch of salt, then blend everything together. Peel the pears and dice them. Prepare a base of garlic and EVO oil in a pan, then add the pears and diced cherry tomatoes. Desalt the anchovies, chop them, and mix with breadcrumbs and 50 g of grated cheese.

Cook the Maccheroni al torchio in salted boiling water. Drain the pasta into the pan with the pears and cherry tomatoes and toss everything together with a sprinkle of the anchovy breadcrumbs mixture. Mix the seed oil with water (140 ml) and add the flour and tomato powder. Pour the mixture into a preheated non-stick pan and cook without stirring to create coral-shaped decorations.

Assemble the dish by placing the potato cream at the base of a deep plate, arranging the sautéed Maccheroni al torchio on top, followed by the mackerel. Finish the dish by placing the coral on the side.

Chef Domenico Lampedecchia, Italian National Senior Chefs Team from 2014 to 2017.
Chef Mariano Donghia, Italian National Senior Chefs Team from 2016 to 2017.